At ten miles we travelled over undulating ground for the first time since we left the banks of the Lachlan; and we crossed a chain of ponds watering a beautiful and extensive valley covered with a luxuriant crop of the anthisteria grass. Kangaroos were now to be seen on all sides, and we finally encamped on a deeper chain of ponds, probably the chief channel of the waters of that valley. A ridge of open forest-hills appearing before us, I rode to the top of one of the highest summits while the men pitched the tents; and from it I perceived a hilly country through whose intricacies I at that time saw no way, and beyond it a lofty mountain range arose in the south-west. To venture into such a region with wheel-carriages seemed rather hazardous when I recollected the coast ranges of the colony; and I determined to examine it further before I decided whether we should penetrate these fastnesses, or travel westward round them, thus to ascertain their extent in that direction and that of the good land watered by them. July 5. I proceeded with several men mounted towards the lofty hill to the eastward of our route, the highest of those I had intersected from Mount Hope and the Pyramid-hill, its aboriginal name, as I afterwards learnt, being Barrabungale.* Nearly the whole of our way was over granite rocks. We had just reached a naked mass near the principal summit when the clouds, which had been lowering for some time, began to descend on the plains to the northward, and soon closing over the whole horizon compelled me to return, without having had an opportunity of observing more than that the whole mass of mountains in the south declined to the westward. This was however a fact of considerable importance with respect to our further progress; for I could enter that mountain-region with less hesitation as I knew that I could leave it, if necessary, and proceed westward by following down any of the valleys which declined in that direction. (*Footnote. Warrabangle is a very similar name and belongs to a hill similarly situated five degrees further to the northward. See Map.) ASCEND BARRABUNGALE. RAINY WEATHER. EXCURSION SOUTHWARD. July 6.